ANDY Hodge, from Hebden near Skipton, may be a double Olympic champion but he says he is “on a voyage of discovery” as he returns to international competition after an 18-month absence.

Illness forced the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 men’s four champion to sit out the entire 2015 season but he is excited to be back in the GB Rowing Team squad for the European Championships, taking place in Brandenburg, Germany and starting today.

“It’s been an 18-month winter but summer is definitely on the horizon and it feels really good,” said Hodge, who has been named in the men’s eight.

“If I look at all the trials we’ve done during the winter, there have been some really good results and things I can be very proud of personally. I feel like I’ve earned my place in this eight and I’m part of the mission now to make it a gold-medal boat for Rio.”

GB has won gold in the eight at the last three World Championships and Hodge is confident this crew can keep their place on top of the podium at this summer’s Olympic Games.

The first chance to test themselves against international opposition comes at the European Championships, a competition where Britain has had to settle for bronze and silver in the past two years.

“We do want to hit the ground running but we are well aware of how other countries approach the Europeans, so we just have to deliver what we can,” said Hodge.

“There’s a process to go through and you can see in the last couple of years that not winning gold at the Europeans hasn’t done the eight any harm when it came to the World Championships.

“Our goal is definitely Rio and we are building towards that point but we will certainly be challenging in Germany.

“This men’s heavyweight team is the strongest group of people I have ever seen – all highly motivated, very positive. Their tails are up and the reason is because they have earned it with their performances and results over the past three years.

“That’s the best thing about joining this project – we are building off success. It’s very exciting.

“I go into this project in a similar mind-set to when I first came into the GB team, particularly with having a year off. I’ve got a great opportunity and I’m on a voyage of discovery, I have everything to look forward to and nothing to fear.”

Joining Hodge in the eight for the Europeans is Leeds rower Paul Bennett, who is looking to make his Olympic debut this year after winning back-to-back World titles.

Richmond’s Zoe Lee will once again stroke the women’s eight, while Jess Leyden and Tina Stiller, from Todmorden and Yarm respectively, will be looking for a big performance in the women’s quadruple scull as they prepare for the final Olympic qualification regatta in Lucerne from May 22-24.